Putin pushes global security system as Russia marks 'Victory Day'

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Victory Day military parade marking 71 years after the victory in WWII, in Moscow's Red Square.
(Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the annual elaborate Victory Day military parade in Red Square, says Russia wants to help build an international security system that transcends military blocs.

Putin's short speech on Monday also warned against "unacceptable double standards that shortsightedly indulge those who are nurturing new criminal plans."

He made no specific accusations but both the accusation of double standards and the call for a "non-bloc system of international security" echo Russia's frequent criticism of the West and the NATO alliance.

The hour-long parade, in which military equipment including the advanced Armata tank and the Yars ICBM launcher lumbered across the square, concluded with a flyover by dozens of military aircraft from helicopters to long-range bombers.